Vision for the Future

人类大脑中大约一半的皮质物质参与处理视觉信息，比所有其他感官的总和还要多。这反映了视觉对于功能和生存的重要性，但也解释了它在娱乐我们、训练我们和为我们的决策过程提供信息方面的作用。然而，我们对自然环境中的视觉过程了解相对较少，这就是为什么它在如此广泛的应用中是一个如此重要的研究领域。视觉是重要的：YouTube视频占所有互联网流量的25%，在美国，Netflix占峰值流量的33%；思科预测，到2016年，视频将占所有流量的54%(如果包括P2P视频分发，则占86%)，而总IP流量预计为1.3 ZB。移动网络运营商预测，未来10年的需求将增长1000倍，主要是由视频流量推动的。在另一个极端，哺乳动物的眼睛被猎豹用来以超过80公里/小时的速度在自然地形上稳定地移动，被人类用来以亚毫米的精度穿针，或者识别面部表情的细微变化。螳螂虾使用12个颜色通道(人类只使用3个)和偏振，它拥有动物王国中最快、最准确的打击。因此，视觉是动物与世界互动方式的核心。因此，更深入地了解人类和动物在沉浸、运动和视觉搜索领域的感知和视觉处理的基本方面，加上工程解决方案的创新，对于提供与消费者、互联网、机器人和环境监控应用程序相关的未来技术至关重要。该项目将进行三个跨学科的研究：视觉沉浸、发现和隐藏事物以及运动中的视觉。这些是理解人类如何与视觉世界互动的关键。通过利用计算机科学、电子工程、心理学和生物学领域的知识和紧密结合的研究，我们将提供全新的方法和解决方案，以设计基于视觉的技术。我们认识到，平衡高风险研究与基础计划的连贯性至关重要。因此，我们将鼓动一种新的沙坑方法来产生想法，研究人员可以在其中开发他们自己的微型项目。这将与使用同行审查的风险管理程序保持一致，以确保赠款的全部潜力得到实现。管理团队将定期并在需要时通过英属维尔京群岛咨询小组寻求独立建议。我们的PDRA将以常规赠款以外的方式受益。例如，将指导他们：i)参加创意产生讲习班，确定并交付他们自己在计划内的迷你项目；ii)酌情将这些项目发展成全面的建议(赠款或奖学金)；iii)借调到国际合作组织，使他们能够获得不同研究文化的经验；iv)领导组织关键活动，如英属维尔京群岛青年研究人员座谈会；v)培训为STEM大使，参与外联活动和公共参与；vii)探索利用其知识产权。最后，我们将把英属维尔京群岛的博士培训活动与这笔赠款紧密联系起来，为我们的工作人员提供更大的研究杠杆和研究监督经验。

Approximately half the cortical matter in the human brain is involved in processing visual information, more than for all of the other senses combined. This reflects the importance of vision for function and survival but also explains its role in entertaining us, training us and informing our decision-making processes. However, we still understand relatively little about visual processes in naturalistic environments and this is why it is such an important research area across such a broad range of applications.Vision is important: YouTube video accounts for 25% of all internet traffic and in the US, Netflix accounts for 33% of peak traffic; by 2016 video is predicted by CISCO to account for 54% of all traffic (86% if P2P video distribution is included) where the total IP traffic is predicted to be 1.3 zettabytes. Mobile network operators predict a 1000 fold increase in demand over the next 10 years driven primarily by video traffic. At the other extreme, the mammalian eye is used by cheetahs to implement stable locomotion over natural terrain at over 80km/h and by humans to thread a needle with sub-millimetre accuracy or to recognise subtle changes in facial expression. The mantis shrimp uses 12 colour channels (humans use only three) together with polarisation and it possesses the fastest and most accurate strike in the animal kingdom. Vision is thus central to the way animals interact with the world. A deeper understanding of the fundamental aspects of perception and visual processing in humans and animals, across the domains of immersion, movement and visual search, coupled with innovation in engineering solutions, is therefore essential in delivering future technology related to consumer, internet, robotic and environmental monitoring applications.This project will conduct research across three interdisciplinary strands: Visual Immersion, Finding and Hiding Things, and Vision in Motion. These are key to understanding how humans interact with the visual world. By drawing on knowledge and closely coupled research across computer science, electronic engineering, psychology and biology we will deliver radically new approaches to, and solutions in, the design of vision based technology. We recognise that it is critical to balance high risk research with the coherence of the underlying programme. We will thus instigate a new sandpit approach to ideas generation where researchers can develop their own mini-projects. This will be aligned with a risk management process using peer review to ensure that the full potential of the grant is realised. The management team will periodically and when needed, seek independent advice through a BVI Advisory panel. Our PDRAs will benefit in ways beyond those on conventional grants. They will for example be mentored to: i) engage in ideas generation workshops, defining and delivering their own mini-projects within the programme; ii) develop these into full proposals (grants or fellowships) if appropriate; iii) undertake secondments to international collaborator organisations, enabling them to gain experience of different research cultures; iv) lead the organisation of key events such as the BVI Young Researchers' Colloquium; v) be trained as STEM ambassadors to engage in outreach activities and public engagement; and vii) explore exploitation of their intellectual property. Finally we will closely link BVI's doctoral training activities to this grant, providing greater research leverage and experience of research supervision for our staff.